Just A Little Longer
by LeFay Strent
Summary: Drabbles centering around the phrase 'just a little longer'. Will include a variety of genres and characters.
1. Chapter 1

Trisha was by his side, holding tiny Alphonse in the cradle of her arms. Little Edward dangled from his hands, legs swaying and eyes gauging everything with wondrous interest. And here was Hohenheim, salty tears streaming down his face as the photographer prepared to take the picture.

Why? Because soon he would have to leave his home, his beloved family, all of it. Subconsciously, he had always known he would. Just because he fell in love and fathered two beautiful baby boys did not mean his transgressions had been erased, no matter how far in the past they had been. He would have to go on a journey that led him far away from this humble abode, a journey that would take an indiscernible amount of time. Probably years though…more? Possibly.

And yet, Trisha was okay with it. She may be sad that he would be gone, she had told him how much she would miss him, and yet she understood. Gate help him, she understood. To top it off, she promised that she would be here, waiting for him to return to her and the boys. He truly didn't deserve such a beautiful soul like her.

Hohenheim loved them all so much. And he was leaving. That's why he cried.

He had made the decision. His departure was absolute. There was no turning back.

…but that didn't mean he couldn't put it off for a little while…

_Just a little longer._

The camera flashed a blinding light. Hohenheim still cried.

_Just a little longer…_

* * *

**This will be my first drabble series. I'm used to writing bigger stories and one-shots but this will be interesting since I'll have a wide range to work from. I mostly started this to work through my writer's block and now I feel it'll lead to something great. I kicked things off with a little insight on Hohenheim. Not really sure why I did, especially since I've never written for him, but it was cool to get into his mind for a bit. Future chapters will focus on other characters, not just Hohenheim, just to let you guys know in case you're not a big fan of Papa Hoho, so don't run away just yet. These drabbles won't be in any specific order, meaning I'll be jumping around the FMA/FMAB universe quite a bit. Length will vary for each chapter. And that's about it I guess...**

**Keep on keeping on! ^_^**


	2. Chapter 2

Peals of laughter rang across the hillside. Two young boys climbed the old tree in their backyard, each one hanging upside down by their legs. Both made sure to stick to the lower branches. Their mother became nervous when they attempted to go any higher. First one to fall to the ground would lose. Loser would be stuck with dish duty. Blood rushed to their heads, neither of them giving in.

"Boys! Time to come in!"

The brothers looked in the direction of the call. Their mother stood at the back door, a small smile visible from the distance.

"Just a little longer! Please?!" Edward shouted back.

"Please, Mom?!" Alphonse begged as well.

They wanted to see this contest to the end, after all.

Trisha shook her head, a warm laugh escaping her lips, "Alright! Five more minutes, but that's it! Supper will get cold if you wait any longer."

"'Kay!" twin shouts answered her. Trisha smiled lovingly at her boys and returned inside to finish setting the table.

As it turned out, there was no winner. Edward and Alphonse fell within milliseconds of each other, making it hard to tell who dropped first. After a couple of minutes of dispute, their mother came back to remind them of their cooling food. She quickly became involved in their debate of 'who fell first' and settled the matter once and for all.

Both of them would be doing an equal amount of dish duty.

The funny thing was, neither of them was really upset about it. They were mostly surprised by such a simple solution and the way their mother handled things so efficiently that all they could do was stare at her, dumbfounded.

She patted their heads, gray eyes expressing how much she loved and adored them. In a bout of playfulness, Trisha dashed towards the house and beckoned for them to follow.

The brothers snapped out of their stupors, grinned, and raced after her, easily catching up with their laughing mother and grabbing hold of her hands.

No, they weren't bothered by it. Not when they had her. Not when they had each other. Not when they were so happy whenever their mother told the two of them how proud they made her; how she'd kiss their bruises and the pain would magically disappear; how she never failed to find them during a game of hide-and-seek; how she'd hug them and say she loved them dearly.

Yes, they were happy there, the three of them.

But their happiness would only last just a little longer.

Their mother succumbed to illness and died a month later.

* * *

**Tragic, huh? But that's kinda the point. Right now the drabbles are sad but they all won't be.**

**The updates for this will be random, but I'll try to update it frequently. I have many more drabbles in mind so stay tuned.**


	3. Chapter 3

Darkness fell over the small village of Resembool, the building mass of angry clouds making shadows more prominent. Wind swept across the fields and the grass shuddered from its biting chill. A cold front had pushed a storm system into the area. Nothing could stop the rain from coming. Not a single drop had fallen yet, but it would, just as surely as the sun would rise. Just as surely as the world would continue to spin on its axis.

Just as surely as Trisha Elric would die that night.

This night…would forever be imprinted in her sons' memories.

There they stood, near her bedside. Trisha lay under the covers, a wet rag draped over her sweaty forehead, face pale, breathing labored, and still trying to play down the pain so her boys wouldn't worry. In return, Edward and Alphonse put up a confident façade for her. She would be alright. This was their mother. She was strong, beautiful, and capable. Nothing could take her away.

No matter what the stupid adults said…their mom couldn't die.

Said adults milled around the house, all of them waiting for the inevitable. They had all come to bear witness to Trisha's passing. Most waited downstairs while closer family friends remained in the bedroom. The boys knew every one of them, had grown up around them.

In that moment, it didn't matter. All of their faces were blurs. The boys barely even paid mind to Auntie Pinako who stood beside a teary eyed Winry. The old woman had explained to them earlier that day about what would happen, about how their mom wouldn't make it to morning. The doctor's prognosis was absolute. All they could do was make her comfortable until…

Ed's tiny hand balled into a fist. What did they know?! They didn't know his mom like they did! She was strong! She was invincible! She was everything to them! She was…she was…

She was _Mom_…

"You'll be okay, Mom," Edward assured her, his voice cracking at the end and betraying his emotions.

Trisha sensed his fear and, even in the powerful grips of her fever, she sought to comfort him. Her hand reached out towards him blindly, her vision dizzy. Both boys grasped at her hand, holding it in tight little grips. Trisha tried to smile at them but ended up in a coughing fit.

Alphonse trembled as they watched with wide, fearful eyes. But then the fit passed and their mother settled to her pillow once again. His large, grey eyes, so much like their mother's, scanned over her weak form. He wanted to do something for her. Anything! But he was just a kid. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to scream at the grown ups. Why weren't they helping her? Why was their mom hurting? Why wasn't she getting better? Auntie Pinako said she was sick, so why didn't they just give her medicine like when he and Brother got colds and Mom would give them something to soothe their sniffles and raw throats?

Why?

The room was so quiet, enabling everyone to hear the ragged, pained breaths of the bed's occupant. Trisha's eyelids fluttered, causing the boys to grip at her hand tighter. If they just held on tight enough, she couldn't slip away from them. They wouldn't let her go, not now. Not ever.

"It's almost time…" one of the adults whispered in the background.

Those words sliced through them, crippling them with the cold, stark truth.

No…

She had to stay with them…she had to…just a little longer…please?…they'd be good boys…they'd do their chores…they'd take care of their mom like she took care of them…so please?…couldn't she stay just a little longer?

"Edward…?" Trisha's voice came through pale, chapped lips, so weak and strained. Their ears and eyes were trained solely on her. Nothing else in the world mattered. Only her and what she had to say. "Could you use your alchemy to make a ring of flowers? Your father…always used to…make them for me…" A faint smile tilted up the corners of her mouth as her words became fainter and fainter. The light faded from her eyes. Her hand went slack in their grips. A final breath hitched in her throat and her chest rose for the last time. Then she became still.

She was gone.

"…Mom?" Ed asked, his question coming out as a frightened plea.

She just…fell asleep…that's all…right?…

Then why were the adults leaving? Why was Al suddenly sobbing beside him? Why wasn't his mom moving at all?

And then the rain began to fall. It fell in torrents and it was cold and frightening in its intensity. It was unrelenting. And it was real. It was so real. It wouldn't stop. It just kept coming and coming and it wouldn't stop being _real_.

…

…

…

…_Mommy?_

* * *

**And now I'm all sad now... I'M SORRY TRISHA! BUT I HAD TO! *bursts into tears***

**Okay, that's all the sad drabbles I can take. The next one will be light-hearted.**

**...I still feel so horrible for poor Trisha. I just want to write a story where she magically comes back to life one day and Ed and Al get to have their mother back. Except, I'd make it all legit of course. I'm seriously considering writing something like that. I've seen some other stories where Ed and Al get to see their mother again, but those were all time travel fics. I'd like to have it in the present time of the show when Ed's 15/16 and him and Al just walk into HQ one day and BAM! There she is, alive again. Or something like that. Their reactions to that...I can just imagine how emotional it would be. Who would be interested in reading that? Or am I the only one?**

**Until next time. Keep on keeping on! ^_^**


	4. Chapter 4

"Alphonse!" Edward called, climbing up the hill that overlooked the lake where they'd went swimming many times as children. At the top sat his brother, his legs stretched out before him. The sleeves of his shirt were pushed up to soak in the midday sunlight as he leaned back on his hands. His head was tilted back and his eyes closed in absolute contentment. He was so busy daydreaming that he hadn't even heard Edward approaching.

Ed grinned. Now would be an ideal time to sneak up on Alphonse.

He softened his footsteps and tip-toed closer…

"You're not nearly as sneaky as you think you are," Al spoke without opening his eyes, his voice filled with smugness and a pinch of amusement.

The elder Elric gave up the act and plopped down on the ground beside him. "Oh, you shouldn't have said that, Little Brother. That means I'm going to have to prove you wrong," he grinned good-naturedly.

"Bring it on," Al replied confidently, the corner of his mouth perking up.

"Later," Ed promised. "Winry sent me up here to retrieve you. Lunch is going to be ready soon."

Al nodded, having yet to lift his eyelids. It'd been nearly two months since the Promised Day when Edward had returned his body to him, and the time had slipped past them like a swift current. In that small amount of time they'd been doing nothing and everything at the same time. Alphonse had been reveling in his newfound senses and Ed was with him every step of the way, sharing in his joy of rediscovering all of the glorious things life had to offer. They'd been home in Resembool as soon as the doctor cleared him to leave and Al had been embracing his beautiful hometown with open arms ever since.

There were so many things he'd experienced that most would take for granted. Like being able to feel Winry's welcome home hug or Den's soft fur as he licked Al's cheek. Or the smell and taste of family dinner's followed by cool nights spent around the roaring fireplace. How they would lounge around talking with smiles on their faces and making each other laugh, and this time he was able to feel the laughter vibrate deep in his chest in a way that would make the fuzzy glow of happiness linger.

One experience in particular he never realized he missed but did most days now was what he was doing right then. To be able to sit there on the open landscape of Resembool, to see the rolling green hills and be able to smell the scent of Spring that played in the atmosphere. Sitting there, feeling the dirt and blades of grass under his palms and the rays of sun kissing his skin while the most refreshing breeze made his small locks of blonde hair tickle the back of his neck and ears… Words could never describe how amazing it was.

_This _was how it felt to be truly alive.

"Just a little longer," Al asked of his brother, lying down in the soft grass with a sigh.

Edward smiled, not protesting in the slightest. He knew what Alphonse was doing. It'd been what he'd been doing for the past two months now. He was cherishing all of the things that came with having a true body, re-familiarizing himself with every aspect, every sensation. Al had been in that suit of armor for far too long, had suffered more than one so young should, and had fought through the suffering, the years of sensory deprivation, the lonesome, sleepless nights. They'd both come so far and fought so hard for this. Who was he to cut short Al's happiness? He deserved every bit of it.

So they stayed that way in peaceful silence and enjoyed this moment together. By the time Winry came to find them, Al had fallen asleep.

"You guys never came back. I got worried," she explained, approaching the two of them. Her hair was let down for once and the lemon strands fluttered in the gentle wisps of wind. One of her hands pushed the bangs out of her bright, blue eyes and she smiled when she saw Al sleeping like a baby beside his big brother.

Ed hummed a response, glancing down at Al as well. He'd curled up on his side, the opposite to how Ed himself would sleep on his back with his limbs splayed out.

"He fell asleep and I didn't want to disturb him," Ed told her, fondness seeping into his tone. "Thought I'd let him nap a while longer."

Winry crouched down right beside Edward, hugging the tops of her knees as she sang, "I made apple pie."

Ed hopped up, "On second thought, he can nap while I carry him."

Winry shook her head and laughed quietly as she went to help him position Al on his back so that he could carry him piggyback style. Al stirred, but only to wrap his arms around Ed's shoulders tighter. He settled after that, his cheek resting on Ed's left shoulder so that his face was turned towards Winry as they walked back to the house.

"Aw, isn't that adorable," Winry cooed, grinning from ear to ear.

"Take any pictures and you die a thousand painful deaths," Ed promised her.

"Idiot, then who would fix your leg up when you break it?" she smirked, poking him in the side.

Ed tried not to jump too much and jostle the passenger riding on his back. His cheeks warming, he grumbled, "Gearhead."

"Alchemy freak," she retorted.

They walked on, both of them sneaking side glances at each other. Smiles betrayed them but they didn't care.

They had every reason in the world to smile.

* * *

**See, told you the next one would be a happy one. ^_^**

**I wrote this because I really need a reason to smile right now. I hope you guys smiled a little too while reading this.**


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